Law / United States / 
North Carolina
HB 301, social media and minors safety act
H.B. 301, 2025-2026 Session (General Assembly, as passed by both chambers in differing forms)
A citation is an address, not a summary. The first part names the law; what follows narrows it to the exact section, article or paragraph.
What follows is LexLint's own research summary of this law, not legal advice.
Proposed: draft date not recorded.
In reconciliation between two chambers, dated 24 June 2026, as of 12 September 2026.
A social media and minors rule binding private bodies.
As of 2 September 2026.
Where it has got to
The text described here is House Bill 301, Sixth Edition, engrossed by the Senate 10 June 2026. That print is H301v6, published 10 June 2026.
Locally, this stage is conference committee.
The stage above is recorded at www.ncleg.gov.
The Senate passed its committee substitute, as amended, 48 to 0 on 10 June 2026. The House voted not to concur on 23 June 2026 and appointed conferees that day, and the Senate appointed its conferees on 24 June 2026. No conference report is recorded.
What this law does
Drafted with AI from the cited sources under the direction of UnGovr staff. UnGovr holds editorial responsibility for this page.
As passed by the House 106-6 in May 2025, the bill would bar children under 14 from holding social media accounts and require parental consent for 14 and 15 year olds, with age verification duties on platforms. The Senate passed a revised committee substitute 48-0 on June 10, 2026, the House voted not to concur on June 23, 2026, and a conference committee was appointed the next day to reconcile the versions.
If you get it wrong
Criminal exposureNo
Private right of actionYes
Penalties
Proposed civil penalties up to $50,000 per violation, plus up to $10,000 in damages for an affected child account holder.
Penalty structure
As proposed in the Sixth Edition, the Senate's engrossed text of 10 June 2026 now before the conference committee: a violation of the children's protections is an unfair and deceptive trade practice under G.S. 75-1.1 that only the Attorney General may bring against an addictive social media platform, and in addition to the civil penalty under G.S. 75-15.2 the Attorney General may collect up to $50,000 per violation plus reasonable attorneys' fees and court costs; the court may assess punitive damages where noncompliance is a consistent pattern of knowing or reckless conduct. The age-verification and data-use sections carry the same $50,000 penalty. Not yet enacted; the amount could change before a final Act is signed.
- Rule
- Per violation only
- As of
- 12 September 2026
- Currency
- USD
- Per violation unit
- Violation
- Per violation amount
- 50,000
Statutory damages
As proposed: an addictive social media platform that knowingly or recklessly violates the children's protections is liable to the child account holder for damages the court may award UP TO $10,000 (a maximum, not a guaranteed minimum), plus court costs and reasonable attorneys' fees. An action may only be brought on behalf of a child account holder and must be filed within one year of when the claimant knew, or reasonably should have known, of the violation. Not yet enacted; the amount could change before a final Act is signed.
- As of
- 12 September 2026
- Currency
- USD
Who enforces it
Enforcement body
North Carolina Attorney General (proposed)
What it reaches
Age threshold
16
Covered services
Social media platforms
Obligation class
Age verification, Consent
Verification methods
Parental consent
When LexLint raises it
operates_social_platform
Read the law
Every line above is drawn from the primary source linked here, read on the date shown. This is a research summary, not legal advice.